The Taj Mahal at Agra, a highlight of the Palace on Wheels journey

The Journey

Itinerary

The 7-Night Route

A Week Across the Land of Kings

Delhi to Delhi, a complete loop with no backtracking — every city unique. Across seven nights the Palace on Wheels carries you through nine of North India’s most storied destinations, with guided sightseeing, safaris, palace entries and every meal included. Here is your journey, day by day.

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RAJASTHAN · INDIADelhiJaipurSawai MadhopurChittorgarhUdaipurJaisalmerJodhpurBharatpurAgra
Royal brass and shehnai welcome beside the Palace on Wheels in Delhi
Day 1

Wednesday · New Delhi

Embarkation & a Royal Send-off

Boarding 4:30 PM · Safdarjung Railway Station

Your journey into royal India begins in the capital. Guests gather at Delhi’s historic Safdarjung Railway Station, where the Palace on Wheels welcomes you in true regal style — the call of the shehnai, a fragrant garland, a ceremonial tilak and a turban, and a personal introduction by the General Manager. Settle into your cabin as the train glides out of Delhi and the first of seven candlelit dinners is served in the Maharaja and Maharani dining cars, carrying you back to the bygone era of India’s princes.

  • Traditional shehnai welcome, garland, tilak and safa (turban)
  • Cabin check-in and orientation
  • Welcome drink and gala dinner on board

Dining Dinner on board

Amber Fort above Maota Lake, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Day 2

Thursday · Jaipur

The Pink City

Full day in Jaipur

Wake in Jaipur, the rose-pink capital laid out in 1727 by the astronomer-king Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II — one of India’s first planned cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ascend to the honey-and-amber ramparts of Amber Fort, by elephant or jeep, and lose yourself in the mirrored Sheesh Mahal. Below in the old city, the lattice screens of the Hawa Mahal, the royal City Palace and the giant sundials of Jantar Mantar tell of a court obsessed with art and science, while the bazaars glitter with gemstones, block-printed textiles and enamelled jewellery.

  • Amber Fort with elephant ascent and the Sheesh Mahal
  • Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar
  • Royal lunch and time in Jaipur’s gem and textile bazaars

Dining Breakfast · Royal lunch · Dinner

A Bengal tiger at Ranthambore National Park near Sawai Madhopur
Day 3

Friday · Sawai Madhopur & Chittorgarh

Tigers & the Fort of Valour

Ranthambore safari · afternoon at Chittorgarh

A dawn jeep safari takes you into Ranthambore National Park, beside the town of Sawai Madhopur named for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I, where the Bengal tiger reigns over a landscape of lakes, ruins and dhok forest — leopard, sloth bear, sambar and crocodile share the wild. By afternoon the train reaches Chittorgarh, the greatest fort in Rajasthan and a UNESCO World Heritage site, sacred to the Rajputs as the very symbol of their courage and sacrifice. As night falls, a Light & Sound show brings its legends of valour to life.

  • Morning tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park
  • Chittorgarh Fort — Vijay Stambh, Rana Kumbha Palace and Bhimlat Kund
  • Evening Light & Sound show recalling Rajput glory

Dining Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

The City Palace and Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Day 4

Saturday · Udaipur

The City of Lakes

Full day in Udaipur

Founded by Maharana Udai Singh II in 1559, Udaipur is the most romantic of Rajasthan’s cities — a shimmer of lakes, marble palaces and legends of love set against the Aravalli hills. Tour the sprawling City Palace and its Crystal Gallery, then drift across Lake Pichola by boat past the Lake Palace and the island pleasure-garden of Jag Mandir, which seems to float between water and sky. There is time for a heritage lunch at a five-star palace hotel and even a miniature-painting lesson with a local master artist.

  • City Palace complex and the Crystal Gallery
  • Boat ride on Lake Pichola past Jag Mandir
  • Heritage palace lunch and a miniature-painting experience

Dining Breakfast · Lunch · Afternoon tea · Dinner

Camel safari on the Sam Sand Dunes near Jaisalmer, Thar Desert
Day 5

Sunday · Jaisalmer

The Golden Desert Citadel

Full day in Jaisalmer · desert evening

Rising from the Thar like a mirage of gold, Jaisalmer was founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal — its name means ‘the hill fort of Jaisal’. The living Sonar Quila (Golden Fort) still shelters homes, temples and havelis within its honey-coloured walls, while the carved sandstone of Patwon Ki Haveli and the ghats of Gadisar Lake reward an unhurried morning. As the sun lowers, ride a camel over the Sam Sand Dunes, take tea in the desert, and dine beneath an open sky as folk dancers and the floodlit fort set the night aglow.

  • Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Quila) and Patwon Ki Haveli
  • Gadisar Lake and the old sandstone city
  • Camel safari on the Sam Sand Dunes and a desert dinner with cultural show

Dining Breakfast · Lunch · Desert dinner & show

Mehrangarh Fort above the blue city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Day 6

Monday · Jodhpur

The Blue City

Full day in Jodhpur

Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459, Jodhpur is Rajasthan’s second city, a sea of indigo houses gathered beneath one of India’s mightiest forts. You are greeted by the royal brass band of Mehrangarh, which towers 120 metres above the blue town with its carved windows, palace apartments and cannon-lined ramparts. Visit the white-marble cenotaph of Jaswant Thada and the grand Umaid Bhawan Palace before a luxury lunch, the city’s exquisite craftsmanship on show at every turn.

  • Mehrangarh Fort with its royal brass-band welcome
  • Jaswant Thada marble cenotaph
  • Umaid Bhawan Palace and lunch at a heritage hotel

Dining Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

The Taj Mahal at Agra, the climax of the Palace on Wheels journey
Day 7

Tuesday · Bharatpur & Agra

Birds, a Fort & the Taj Mahal

Bharatpur at dawn · afternoon in Agra

Begin among the wetlands of Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur, a UNESCO World Heritage bird sanctuary that draws migratory flocks from as far as Siberia and China — cranes, storks, kingfishers and herons — followed by breakfast at the historic Mahal Khas and a look at the formidable Lohagarh ‘Iron Fort’ raised by Maharaja Suraj Mal. Then on to Agra, the Mughal capital shaped by emperors, for the Agra Fort and, at golden hour, the Taj Mahal — Shah Jahan’s white-marble monument to his queen Mumtaz Mahal, and the most sublime expression of eternal love ever built.

  • Keoladeo (Bharatpur) bird sanctuary safari and Lohagarh Fort
  • Agra Fort, the great red-sandstone Mughal citadel
  • The Taj Mahal at golden hour

Dining Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

The Palace on Wheels at the platform on the final morning in Delhi
Day 8

Wednesday · New Delhi

Arrival & a Royal Farewell

Arrival 7:00 AM · Safdarjung Railway Station

The Palace on Wheels returns to Delhi in the early morning, drawing your week across the land of kings to a graceful close. Enjoy a final breakfast on board before disembarking at Safdarjung Railway Station — carrying with you the forts and lakes, deserts and palaces of Rajasthan, and a taste of how India’s royalty once travelled.

  • Final breakfast on board
  • Disembarkation and onward assistance

Dining Breakfast

Royal cabin interior aboard the Palace on Wheels

Week in Wonderland

Your Royal Journey Awaits

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